⚾️⚾️ The Morning Briefing: Nationals avoid the sweep against the Brewers
Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, September 18.
Good Morning Washington Nationals Fan,
Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, September 18, 2023. My name is Haden Raymer, let’s dive into the news.
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Leading today’s Morning Briefing: Nationals avoid the sweep on Sunday
The Nationals lost the first two games of the series on Friday and Saturday but pulled off an extra-innings victory yesterday. The story stays the same for these 2023 Nationals. When their starters go deep, they succeed. On Friday and Saturday, Jake Irvin went 4.2 innings and Trevor Williams went two innings, respectively. Patrick Corbin threw six innings yesterday and the Nationals won. This poor showing this weekend officially eliminated the Nationals from making the playoffs. The focus now comes to winning 70 games, with an easier series against the White Sox starting tonight, but then a gauntlet of the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Oriole, and the Braves again begins.
You can read a recap of Sunday’s game here.
The Nats Report Player of the Weekend is going to be Luis García, who has had a rough stretch since being called back up, but went 4-8 with two home runs off of two of the best pitchers in baseball right now. If García can get right over these last four series, the Nationals will have a much clearer picture for 2024.
Tonight Joan Adon will take the bump against RHP Mike Clevinger (7-8, 3.61 ERA). This should be the toughest pitching matchup the Nationals will face in this series.
A new episode of In the Clubhouse
You can listen to Jeremy and I ramble about the Brewers series, Lane Thomas’s future with the team, and the upcoming White Sox series on your preferred podcasting platform, or watch it on YouTube.
Down on the Farm: What happened last night with the Nationals Minor League teams
The Rochester Red Wings won against the Lehigh Valey IronPigs 8-7. Blake Rutherford went 2-4 with two doubles. Darren Baker and Jake Noll had three knocks. Frankie Tostado went 4-5 with a walk. Jordy Barley got a hit and stole a base.
The Harrisburg Senators season is now over. Their last game of the season was rained out, but they won the last game they played against the Bowie Baysox 4-2. James Wood went 2-4 with a home run. Dylan Crews went 2-3 and got hit by a pitch. Yohandy Morales got two hits and drew a walk. Robert Hassell III drove in two runs and Trey Lipscomb doubled. On the pitching side, DJ Herz threw six innings of one-run baseball while striking out six. Cole Henry threw a scoreless inning while striking out a batter.
The Wilmington Blue Rocks season is over.
The FredNats season is over.
An excerpt from our new series “A Week in Review”
Undoubtedly, the most significant development in the world of the Washington Nationals this past week was the team's announcement of a multi-year contract extension for Mike Rizzo, who serves as both President of Baseball Operations and General Manager. This groundbreaking agreement was reached on Wednesday.
Rizzo's journey with the Nationals began when he was the first major hire made by the Lerner family after they took control of the franchise. Initially joining as an Assistant General Manager in 2006, he ascended the ranks, becoming the General Manager in 2009. Subsequently, on August 1, 2013, Rizzo assumed his current dual role as President of Baseball Operations and General Manager.
During Rizzo's stewardship from 2012 to 2019, the Washington Nationals transformed into one of Major League Baseball's consistently elite teams. They achieved the pinnacle of success in 2019, clinching the World Series championship as a Wild Card team and capturing four National League East titles (2012, 2014, 2016, 2017). Notably, the Nationals boasted a remarkable .563 winning percentage over that eight-year span, ranking second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers (.584) in Major League Baseball.
RICHARD’S TAKE
The front office has been buzzing with news lately, ranging from the positive to the negative, and even some misleading information. However, the recent multi-year contract extension for Mike Rizzo takes the topic of his future with the Nationals off the discussion table as the team approaches the offseason. This development allows the team to wholeheartedly concentrate on building upon the strong foundation that Rizzo has meticulously established.
With Rizzo's future secured, the upcoming offseason will be marked by numerous other compelling storylines. His continuity with the team is now a settled matter, freeing up attention for other pressing matters. This is indeed a positive development. Locking in Rizzo with a multi-year deal affords him the opportunity to see through what he initiated with the most recent "re-tooling" of the team.
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Featured Story of the Day
Tampa Bay Rays set to announce a new stadium deal via Tampa Bay Times
Looking Ahead
During the offseason, you will still be receiving the Morning Briefing. The current plan is to drop down to three days a week, on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. In here we will still be Nats-focused when we have Nationals news to talk about, but if we don’t I’ll keep you updated on the happenings around the league.
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